Motor-car trunk



b, 'WITBECK MOTOR cm TRUNK" Filed Jan. 5. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N'TOE Z4 Z m 6 2 E 0 t N N o 5W 2 M Cm O 1 m T e .5 2 m g Q My 4 U y w m m M H H n 2 WW n u w 1 W R J m m m, D m m z a a q 7: a a rm a Qct. 11, 1927 Patented a. 11, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,644,806 PATENT i OFFICE.

DESFORD WITBEGK, OF STILOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 GEORGE V. STEFFE'NS COM- PANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

MOTOR-CAR TRUNK.

Application filed January 3, 1927. Serial No. 158,592.

This invention relates to motor car trunks.

One object of the invention is to provide a motor car trunk, which, in addition to having a metal outer surface that can be finished the same as the body of the car on which the trunk used, is so constructed that the trunk will not rumble or produce the objeotionable sound that is an inherent characteristic of the metal trunks now used on motor oars.

Another object is to provide a motor car trunk that is equipped with a novel means for producing a dust and water tight joint between the body of the trunk and the lid.

And still another object of my invention is to provide a dust and water tighttrunk that is of attractive appearance; that is rigid enough to successfully withstand the constant jarring and vibration to which it is subjectedwhen in use and which is inexpensive to manufacture. Other objects and desirable features of my invent-ion will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is afront elevational view of a motor car trunk constructed in accordance with my invention. I

Figur 2 is an end'elevational view of the trunk.

Figure 3 is view of a portion of the lid and a portion of the body illustrating the means that is used to produce a tight joint between said elements.

Figure 3* is a View similar to Figure 3, showing the lid partly raised.

Figure 4C is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view of the trunk.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of one corner of the body of the trunk.

Figure 6 is a perspective View, illustrating how the inner lining is combined with the panels of the body before said panels are assembled; and

Figure 7 is a sectional view, illustrating another type of hinge thatcan be used to connect the lid to the body.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the body of my improved trunk, and B designates the lid which is connected to said body preferably by a piano hinge C -arranged at the rear edge of the lid. The particular shape of the body and of the lid is immaterial, so far as my invention is concerned, but I prefer to provide the lid with an enlarged vertical sectional a-conveXed, flat edge portion whose bottom edge is arranged in abutting relation with the top edge of the front wall 1 of the body A, thereby producing a trunk whose lid has a rounded front edge which merges into the front wall of the body of the trunk; The body A and lid B are each constructed of wood and are provided with an outer covering formed by pieces of thin sheet metal applied to the walls of said elements and combined with moldings and corner members that cover the joints between said sheet metal pieces. Either solid lumber or laminated wood can be used in the construction of the body and lid, and while it is immaterial what method is employed to produce the rounded front edge of the lid, I prefer to form this portion of the lid from a sawed piece of lumher 2 of substantially concavo-convex shape in cross section that is attached in any suitable manner to the top wall 3 of the lid. The metal outer covering of the body A of the trunk will usually comprise pieces 4 of thin sheet metal of substantially the same width as the front, rear and end walls of said body applied to the outer faces of said walls and combined with moldings 5, constructed of metal. or other suitable material, and corner members 6 that hide the joints between said sheet metal pieces 4. Usually, the lower edge portions of the sheet metal pieces that cover the front and rear walls of the body will be lapped over the sheet metal piece that covers the bottom wall ofthe body and confined in position by fastening devices driven into said bottom wall. The top 3 of the lid and theconvexed portion 2 at the front edge of said lid are covered by a single piece? of sheet metal which extends continuously or unbrokenly from the rear edge of the lid to the front edge of the lid, and the end walls of the lid are covered by separate pieces 7 metal pieces '7 and 7 being covered by moldings 5* and corner members 6 similar to those used on the body of the trunk.

The means that I prefer to use for producing a dust and water tight joint between the lid and body of the trunk is of novel construction and is composed of a' flange D on the inside of the trunk integrally connected to the metal outer covering of the trunk, a gasket E against which the edge of said flange presses when the lid is closed, and a holder F for said gasket integrally conof sheet metal, the joints between said sheet i lo covers the top wall and converiedgfront en nected to" tli e i ne t a'l I uter covciii' lg of tlie trunli. Said flange can either be mounted on the lid and the holder for the gasket" mounted on the body of the trunk, or the flange D can project upwardly trolnthetop edge of the body into the 11d and the gasket holder can be arranged on the inside or the" portionS that covers the top edgeoit' the Wall with which iece-operates and which merges into annpwardly-projacting portion said sheet that is doubled or folded over so as to produce a flangev composed of two thicknesses of metal, one of which has its low-eredg'e portion 9 extended downwardly over the inner side of the body oiv the trunk and secured inposition by nails 1001: other suitable fastening devices. At the two front corners of the body A. the angularly-disposed portions 8 of the sheet metal pieces 1' and alsoth'e doubled or folded over portions 01" saidsheets that constitute the flange D are oined together preferably by Welded i'oints 11. as shown in Figure 5. so as to produce practically a continuous flange that projects upwardly from a practically coninuous metal portion that covers the top edges of the front and end Walls of the body A. The piece of sheet-n1 tel C tha portion of the l'idyandsthe sheet metal p 7 that cover the .end' Walls ot' the lid each provided at their bottom edges with an integral, laterally-pro} ectin portion l2 that over the bottom e e of the lid and merges into en. upwardl v projecting'po'r; 11 O- s Mi. hu- 3* lo Wiose uppcl ed e portion .s Mei orv shaped so as to produce the holder F, pre- 7 viously referred to in which the gasket ll}.

18 arranged. The cross sectional shape said asket holder will vary according to the cross-sectional shape oi the gasket that is used. but in the form er invention" herein illustrated the gasket E" formed tron-i piece of rubber tubing;

the holder F is made sub. J 'rm f ped' in" cross section and; is provided I H lowerside with ontraeted mouth of slightly less" Width than said asket, To install the gasket is only necessary stretch or elongate the piece of ruh' 'e'r tub ir'fg that cbn itutes the gasket so as to re duos thei diaineter of tub; suliiciehtly pe n it to be i orc edinto the holder F through the contracted ino'uth at the lower side of the" hlilde'i. reel-ether, whee said tiibihg expands" or resumes its original crosssectional' shape, it Will be too large to drop out of the holder F." This" method-of sup.- porting and holding the gasket E is desir able, in that it overcomes the necessity of using fastening devices or an adhesive to hold the gasket in position; it overcomes the necessity of reinoviiig fastening devices in the operation of renewing the gasket, and

as'no'adl'iesive isappli'ed to the gasket, there is not'end'ency for the gasket to become still or' lose its natural resiliency. lVhen the 11d B 1s closed it is: firmly braced a lon its front ed e and two end projects upwardly into. the. lid" thereby teotively' preventing the lid from" in out of alignment with the'hody. as the tlange D is integrallycoii ctedto the'sfheet ln'et alpieoes l by the angularlyr er y thefiange non theb ody, s tar disposed portion 8 of pieces which lap' over the top edges of the front andend Walls ol the body, it will be impossible for Water to enter the trunk or to find its Way into the joint between the of thebotly, as might occur if the cam-en were formed by a piece separate and distinct from the metal outer covering and detach} ably connected to the inner side of the upper edge portion or the body. When thel'id is closed the only spacethrough which Water or dust night find its my into the trunk is't'he joint between the flange D on the outer covering of the body and the portion 13, on the outer covering of the lid that embraces 1 v\ r said flange, but such Water or dust would be effectively stopped. when it came in contact with the gasket E that bears against the top edge of the flangel). Consequently, a means otthe construction above described produces a joint betwe n the lid and the body of the trunk that is Water-tight and dust-tight. It also eliniinates the' possibility of ivater findingits ay into tl' e'joi'nts between: the Wood remo e..-

Wooden and metal parts and metal arser? th'e tru'nk, due to the tact that of the body are co' ere'd by integral portions of the outer nie'tafl covering that merge into the tie. ge and the lottoin edges the t t 'e'n' an'tl enc isotthe lid are covered integral portions of the older metal covering the lid that merg ilitotjh portions 13' to ivhich the" gasket holder F integrally coiine'cted, to li'avi e the desirable eli a r'a cte os" ahoi' e' n til Cl, such a neans s nexpens ve to iii-ant fa re,.and t overcomes the necessity ot the top edges of the front and end walls formed preferably by a piece of rubber tubing is applied to the top edge of the rear wall of the body of the trunk and retained in position by a strip 15 of fabric that eX- tends over said gasket and which is secured by an adhesive or in any other manner to the inner and outer faces of the rear wall of the body, the lid B being hinged to the body in such a manner that when said lid is moved downwardly into its. closed position, it will compress the gasket 14, and thus produce a tight oint between the underside of the lid and the top edge of the rear wall of the body. The hinge C has its vertical leg or leaf arranged on the outside of the sheet metal piece a that covers the rear wall of the body, and its horizontal leg or leaf arranged on the underside of the lid, as shown in Figure 4, the top edge of the rear wall of the body being notched out sufliciently to provide a clearance for the knuckle of said hinge. Another type of hinge that can be used for connecting the lid to the body is illustrated in Figure 7, wherein one leaf or leg of the hinge C is arranged on the outside of the sheet metal covering at for the rear wall of the body, and the other leg or leaf of said hinge which is located above the knuckle is made angleshaped, so that the horizontally-disposed portion of same will lap over the sheet metal outer covering of the lid, the knuckle of said hinge projecting rearwardly or outwardly, thereby overcoming the necessity of notching the top edge of the rear wall of the body of the trunk.

In the conventional motor car truck the inner lining is applied to the body after the panels that constitute the walls of said body have been assembled or connected together. This requires the services of a skilled workman, in order to produce smooth corners and perfectly even and uniform seams, and consequently, the lining operation is an item of considerable importance in the cost of producing the trunk. In order to reduce the cost and also produce a trunk whose inner lining is free from wrinkles or seams, I apply the lining 16 to the panels that constitute the walls of the body portion A of the trunk before said walls are assembled or connected together. Thus, as shown in Figure 6, the inner lining 16 of the wall panels is drawn over the edges of said panels and. securedin position by an adhesive or fastening devices before said walls are assembled, thereby making it possible to use unskilled labor in the lining operation, and

moreover, producing a trunk that presents a neater or more attractive appearance than a trunk which is lined after the panels or members which constitute the walls have been connected together.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

l. A motor car trunk provided with a lid, a sheet metal outer covering for said lid provided with a portion that extends inwardly under the bottom edge of said lid and then upwardly on the, inside of the lid, and a gasket holder integrally connected to said upwardly-projecting portion.

2. A motor car trunk, comprising a body and lid constructed of wood, a sheet metal outer covering for each of said elements, a. flange on the inside of the trunk integrally connected to the outer covering of the body by a part that covers the top edge of said body, a downwardly-projectingextension on said flange that laps over the inner side of the body, a gasket holder on the inside of the lid integrally connected to the outer covering of the lid by a part thatcovers the bottom edge of the lid, and a gasket in said holder that is adapted to be engaged by said flange when the lid is closed.

3. A motor car trunk, comprising two ele ments, namely, a body and a lid, a flange on the inside of the trunk connected to one of said elements, the other element, and aresilient gasket in said holder,-said holder be ing so constructed that said gasket can be inserted in or removed from said holder by deforming said gasket. I

4;. A motor car trunk, comprising two elements, namely, a body and a lid, a member on the inside of the trunk connected to one of said elements and bent to form a holder of substantially circular shape in cross section that has acontracted mouth, a piece of rubber tubing arranged in said holder so as to serve as a gasket, and a part connected to the other element of the trunk that engages said gasket when the lid is closed.

5. A motor car trunk, comprising two ele- I ments, namely, a body and a lid, a sheet metal outer covering for said elements, .a flange projecting upwardly from the front and end walls of said body and integrally connectedto the outer covering of said body, a gasket on the inner side of the lid that presses against said flange when the lid is closed, and a gasket mounted on the upper edge of the rear wall of the body.

DESFORD WITBECK. 

